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. 2024 Jul 1;11(1):V2.
doi: 10.3171/2024.4.FOCVID244. eCollection 2024 Jul.

Vagus nerve stimulation in pediatric patients with drug-resistant epilepsy: a step-by-step video

Santiago E Cicutti  1 , Guido P Gromadzyn  1 , Javier F Cuello  2 , Marcelo Bartuluchi  1
Affiliations

Vagus nerve stimulation in pediatric patients with drug-resistant epilepsy: a step-by-step video

Santiago E Cicutti et al. Neurosurg Focus Video. .

Abstract

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a neuromodulatory treatment involving chronic intermittent electrical stimulation of the left vagus nerve, administered through a programmable pulse generator implanted subcutaneously in the chest. This generator connects to a bipolar lead, with electrodes wrapped around the vagus nerve in the neck. Primarily used as an adjunct therapy for patients with refractory epilepsy who cannot undergo or have not benefitted from resective surgery, VNS is generally well tolerated with few severe side effects. Herein is presented an educational surgical video providing a detailed, step-by-step technical description of VNS implantation. The video can be found here: https://stream.cadmore.media/r10.3171/2024.4.FOCVID244.

Keywords: drug-resistant epilepsy; neurosurgery; vagus nerve stimulation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures The authors report no conflict of interest concerning the materials or methods used in this study or the findings specified in this publication.The authors report no conflict of interest concerning the materials or methods used in this study or the findings specified in this publication.

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